March 28, 2018

NEWS: El Sistema founder dies at age 78

José Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela’s landmark music education system called “El Sistema” has died at the age of 78. He reportedly had been ill for several years.

Abreu began “El Sistema” in 1975 and, although he had some detractors over the decades (partly due to the system’s support from Venezuela’s dictators) “El Sistema” educated hundreds of thousands of mostly poor children from throughout the country. Variations of the program have been established around the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA).

“El Sistema’s” flagship has been its orchestra now known as the Simón Bolivár Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, who also leads the L.A. Phil. Another graduate is Rafael Payare, who has just been named incoming music director of the San Diego Symphony.

"My heart is overwhelmed," said Dudamel as quoted in the Los Angeles Times. "The music and arts have lost one of its brightest figures. Maestro José Antonio Abreu taught us that art is a universal right and that inspiration and beauty irreversibly transform the soul of a child…. I am who I am today [because of him] and I owe it to Maestro Abreu's generosity, humanity and vision. I feel an immense privilege to have shared a life next to someone of his dimension."